As information service providers offer more services through cable television, the demand for cable television bandwidth will greatly increase. Similarly, the introduction of high definition television (HDTV) channels, which require a significantly larger bandwidth than conventional television channels, will consume a large portion of the available cable television bandwidth. The number of cable television channels and bandwidth available, however, are limited.
One technique for improving the bandwidth efficiency of a channel is to multiplex multiple data signals for transmission on a single channel. This technique permits a greater amount of data to be transmitted over the channel for a given time period, but requires a receiver apparatus capable of operating at the higher data rate. As the data rate increases, so does the receiver complexity and cost. Consumer products, such as cable television reception equipment, however, must be reasonably priced if those products are to be widely successful in the marketplace.